Tim O’Donnell: New Father Reflects on Season So Far

IRONMAN Boulder champion Tim O’Donnell shares how expecting his first child has changed his training and racing in 2017.

American triathlete and CLIF athlete Tim O’Donnell is carrying great expectations on his shoulders as he begins final preparations for his 'A' race—the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii. O’Donnell’s wife, three-time IRONMAN world champion, Mirinda Carfrae ("Rinny"), has been on the sidelines all year as she prepared to give birth to their first child: Isabelle Grace O'Donnell, born on August 22, 2017. That left O’Donnell as the only family member earning a slice of triathlon prize purses in 2017.

"She’d better not get used to it," jokes O’Donnell, "we need to keep the double paychecks coming!"

Season planning

While the 2017 racing season was effectively wiped out for Carfare, the new arrival in the duo's household impacted O'Donnell's race planning and timing as well. "I’ve had to be smart about my race calendar this year," acknowledges O'Donnell. "I’ve raced a lot more, and earlier in the season; I’ve had to be careful in July and August to ensure that I was in town when Rinny went into labor."

Race timing and location played a large role in O'Donnell’s decision to toe the line at the hometown race, IRONMAN Boulder in June. "With Rinny being pregnant, it was nice to be able to stay home and race with her there supporting me," he reflects.

O'Donnell’s race in Boulder was close to flawless, leading out the swim and never relinquishing the lead from there. He sealed the day with the fastest bike and run of the day. According to T.O, as he's known in the community, seizing the lead so early in the race allowed him to get into his own rhythm, control the day, and work on his race pacing and CLIF-fueled nutrition strategy. "It was one of those rare days where I was able to execute the race according to my own plan," he recalls.

It takes a village

Besides having Rinny at the finish line, O’Donnell was also thrilled to share the victory with his Boulder-based support crew—including his strength coach, physio, and massage therapists: "You have all these behind the scenes people that really help us do what we do, and you never really get to share your racing with them," he explains. "But when you race at home, everyone gets to be there and be a part of the day!"

O’Donnell’s parents were also in town for the race—the first time watching their son at an IRONMAN event since he failed to finish in Kona in 2011. While he’s not superstitious, O’Donnell was relieved: "It was great to break the curse with my parents."

Race takeaways

In addition to a paycheck, O'Donnell saw the Boulder victory as a stepping stone en route to this year’s IRONMAN World Championship. He has placed in the top ten at Kona four times in the past five years, including a podium in 2015, but he has yet to replicate his wife’s Kona ways.

Training with an eye towards both watts and heart rate, O'Donnell and his coach (IRONMAN Master Coach Mark Allen) were pleased with his stats in the Boulder race—particularly on the run. "My heart rate was the lowest I’ve seen for an IRONMAN and I can see that using the MAF method of training with Mark is really starting to pay off" O'Donnell told us. While he recognizes that the 2:53 run split at Boulder was not "blazing fast," racing at altitude and a concrete run surface definitely played a role. "I take confidence, not necessarily from my run split, but rather how I ran," O'Donnell says. "I’ll keep building on that for Kona."

Fresh motivation

O’Donnell admits that there have been benefits to being the only member of the household in full training mode this season. "It’s a little less stressful, he says, "as Rinny currently has more flexibility in her schedule." The arrangement this year has allowed the couple to do some new things, as well as spend more time with family.

While he has missed the regular evening jogs with Rinny, he’s appreciated the extra support she’s provided on long runs, handing off bottles and nutrition while riding alongside. "I shouldn’t get too used to that," he muses, "but it’s great that she’s been part of my training, as she would have been in the past."

With a new baby in the household, O'Donnell realizes that the family priorities have changed seismically, with the baby coming ahead of everything else. However, he’s not too worried about the impact on his training and preparation for Kona. "Of all people, Rinny know what it takes to get ready for that race," O'Donnell points out, "so in terms of caring for our daughter, I have a pretty understanding and sympathetic wife."

In short, O'Donnell is excited for the fresh perspective and motivation that fatherhood will bring to his performance in Kona this year. The men's field should watch out for this dad on a mission.

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